Forge's Blunder
by Shadowy Flip Flops of DOOM
Summary: An attempt to fix some things that always bothered me about the episode Middleverse.
1. Beep Beep Oh Noes!

**The episode "Middleverse", while one of my favorites, irks me for various reasons. I don't think Marvel put much thought into it. (you see this on other occasions too...) So, to construct this story, I had to make it slightly AU and find a lot of explanations. Oh, and for the purposes of this fic, Forge's real name is Jonathan Walker.**

**One, I think that Forge's reputation would stick around a while longer. Think about the "blue and furry ghost" incident. In this story, Forge is something of a legend, though a rather forgotten one over the years. Sightings are reported occasionally.**

**Two, I also believe Forge would familiarize himself with the students, from boredom if nothing else. I think he'd figure out, or at least have suspicions, about the X-men. He's a genius, remember?**

**Third, I'm pretty sure Xavier would know about him. This doesn't figure in the episode, but think about it. Whatever Xavier was doing back in the late 70s, he was probably aware of other mutants, and Forge, if not openly exposed as a mutant, he's definitely a known genius-come on, if he was hiding he wouldn't make a transdimensional projector for a science project. So the students at the mansion would most likely know also, because of the myth I made up AND this fact.**

**And, finally, I think from observing students for all those years (come on, you can make only so many things from the limited supply of technology he apparently has) he'd pick up a bit more modern dialect. If only so I don't have to try to write his lingo. I didn't experience the 1970s-80s so I have little idea of what they were like.**

* * *

Jon grinned as he very tentatively placed the transdimensional projector in his backpack. It had taken him days and days, but his science fair project was finally ready! He couldn't wait to get to to school and show it off. Of course he'd be praised for his inventive talents again, which eventually got annoying, but at the moment he was in a good mood and a little attention was not going to kill it. In fact, it would probably end up fueling his positive attitude. He'd been waiting for weeks, after all. He carefully put on his backpack-he'd kill someone if that machine got damaged-and walked to the school.

Once there, he greeted all his friends with an excited smile. He was probably the only one really excited about the science fair-everyone else looked positively glum. It was understandable. After all, no one else had his _gift_. The gift no one knew about...

The morning passed slowly. Jon was extremely nervous, tapping his pencil habitually against the desk. Even though he _knew _he'd taken precautions and no one would mess with his locker and the projector was _fine_, he was still worried. Finally, _finally_, after an endlessly anxious period of waiting, seventh period arrived. Jon rushed immediately to his locker, retrieved the projector and the rest of his science fair components, then walked very, very carefully to his class. Wouldn't do to destroy the machine after so much work...

One of his best friends, Nick, watched him with an amused expression. "Careful, Jon." He chuckled. "I think a turtle is gonna breeze by and knock you over." Jon glared at his friend, whose project was about how the order of ingredients effected the overall taste of a dish, and said, "I wouldn't talk, _Martha Stewart._" Nick held his head high and said, "Don't blame me when it malfunctions."

Jon scowled at his friend, but quickly turned his attention away as they reached the stairs. This would be a perilous part of the short journey, couldn't be distracted now...

His projector, needless to say, made it safely to the science room, although there was one scary moment when Jon almost tripped. Jon held his breath and waited for an explosion, but nothing happened, so he continued on, if possible, even slower than before. Nick had long since ditched him in favor of getting to class on time.

Once there, he had to set up his exhibit fairly quickly, as he'd wasted five minutes being careful with the projector, even though he'd reinforced it and was highly unlikely it would break even if it did hit the floor. They were given ten more minutes to get ready and then it was time to present.

It was alphabetical, so Jon was actually one of the last people to show off. He enjoyed seeing the other projects, though, studying the electronic ones to see how they worked. The others he was less interested in, but still paid marginal attention to.

Finally it was Jon's turn. He hurried to the front and immediately started spouting technical information that he doubted anyone but the teacher even vaguely understood. Seeing their confused expressions, after five minutes of talking, he sighed and said, "Look, basically it's a transdimensional projector." Confusion cleared and suddenly the class was all exuberance.

Nick raised his hand. Jon deliberately swept the class for other hands, pretending to be mad, before saying, "Nick?" Nick smirked and asked, "Can you give us a demonstration?"  
Jon looked to the teacher, Mr. Adams. Mr. Adams seemed about to refuse, but seeing the faces that were more eager than they'd been all day, he caved. "Alright, fine. Give us a demonstration. But be careful!" His last sentence was drowned out by cheers.

Jon smiled and carefully activated the projector, pointing it away from anything that it could swallow first. He hadn't tested it, he had gotten a little behind schedule and hadn't had time, but he was sure it'd be fine. After all, THAT much math COULDN'T be wrong.

The class waited expectantly. Nothing happened. Jon frowned and looked at the machine carefully. Still, nothing happened. Abandoning caution, he walked in front of it to inspect it further...

And the projector finally decided to activate. Jon disappeared in a shimmer of pink light, while twenty eight students looked on, dumbfounded.

* * *

**Oh my goodness. That's WAY too short if you don't include the first part... Oh well. Reviews? Reviews?**


	2. Stuck in the Most Boring Place EVER

**After ages, I'm back! On with the story!**

* * *

As the light died down, Jon took precious moments working out what had just happened. He was in his own parallel dimension! His eyes widened and he tried desperately to yell, scream, anything, but no one reacted. Everything was wavy, uncertain, and eerily quiet, except for occasional snatches where he could hear panicked yells and the noise he was making.

He watched as students swarmed in the room, seeing someone call somebody...probably the police. But it wouldn't help, because his machine was way ahead of any technology currently on the market. Jon sagged as he realized he might be here for a loong time.

He watched the teachers herd students out of the science room, looking scared themselves. Sure enough, thirty minutes later, police arrived. The students had been let out of school early-Jon envied them. They examined his machine, but Jon could already tell they couldn't make heads nor tails of it. He stared at them, hoping against hope that they would press the reset button, although he wasn't sure even then that he could get back.

Time seemed relative in his little prison. It didn't seem long at all before all the fuss was over, the students were gone, the police had sealed up his lab, effectively sabotaging any chance he might get at rescue. He smiled bitterly as he read the "Missing" posters plastered all over the school.

It was barely two weeks before he was almost forgotten, or at least that was how it seemed. There was a memorial service in the gym. Jon openly cried at seeing his parents weeping for him, wishing he could hug them, reassure them he was right there. Sadness lingered on his friend's faces, but life went on. For them, at least. Jon tinkered with the few parts that had been brought with him. Enough to make some interesting machines, sure, but not enough, even with his genius, to make something to get out of here.

He watched his friends for weeks, hoping to get them to notice him. He figured out the rules of his dimension-he called it Middleverse, it seemed to be between life and death for him. If people on the 'other side' were moving, he could occasionally catch a glimpse of them, but it was momentary. If they were still, there was a much larger probability that he could see and/or hear them. Jon started spying in on his classes, out of pure boredom.

Nights were the worst. He couldn't seem to fall asleep, and the eerily flickering darkness, with no teachers droning on to distract him, was torture. He tinkered with his parts, willing himself to be able to figure something, anything, out that would get him out of here, but he needed just another screw or a power source or _something_. The power source was the worst problem. He had two batteries, but they had a very short life and he refused to use them until he was certain his machine would work this time.

Another night activity he took to was figuring out the limits of his pocket dimension. It went around most of the school, including his lab...he often stared longingly at his machine. But it stopped short of the girls' locker room, which totally burned, because, come on, a guy is stuck in a dimension where practically no one can see him if he's sitting still and he can't even spy on girls? It was so unfair.

That was another thing. If he was in motion, people could occasionally see him, thus springing a legend of a "ghost", but if he was still, he seemed to be totally invisible. Sound from Middleverse didn't seem to carry into the real world.

Jon sighed, reconstructing his parts for the millionth time. So boring...

~*v{o}v*~

Minutes turned into hours turned into days turned into weeks turned into months turned into years. Jon was officially completely bored with Middleverse, especially during the night. The wavering darkness no longer scared him, just bored him. He followed "his" class through the years, but when they graduated (a sad day for him) he bounced around from class to class, knowing all the material already yet not having anything better to do.

Another strange fact about Middleverse-he wasn't aging. As he watched the birth of cell phones and learned of technical advancements (causing him to sigh and wish someone would rediscover his lab) nothing happened to him. He was completely forgotten, the posters taken down after a month as hopeless and the occasional "ghost" sightings being unrecognizable as him. But he wasn't aging. He looked exactly as he had when the portal activated.

It didn't bother him, really, if he could ever get back this visit would just be a distant memory and he could relive those years of his life. Good deal, when you thought about it. But his friends, his parents, everyone would have gone on without him (actually, they already had) and that bothered him.

Mutants were easy to spot. He'd tested himself long before the incident, when his arm first transformed (unfortunately right in front of his parents) for anything unusual, he was probably one of the first to have and know about the X-gene. Mutants had been exposed more than one time, and after all, you couldn't exactly mind-wipe someone who "didn't exist". He'd listened in on more than one private conversation, the X-kids and Brotherhood had such interesting gossip. Privately, Jon couldn't believe someone hadn't overheard them by now, or guessed.

He gave himself the name "Forge". No particular reason, he just was getting bored with Jon. Over the first summer, he'd started talking to himself, and why not rename himself in the fashion of mutants everywhere? Jon was "human", the genius inventor, and Forge was mutant, the genius inventor whose hand could turn mechanical tool.

Most days, there wasn't much to do. He thought about his predicament a _lot_, pinpointing exactly _where_ he'd gone wrong with that circuit and how he would do it if he ever used that machine again, not like that was happening, even if he did get back. If that happened, he was immediately destrying the stupid thing.

But today, twenty years into his forced exile from the real world, something was off. His machine was in use again. Furniture had been falling all day, and he was practically certain someone had got caught in the beam, just as he had. Forge looked around, trying to hide his excitement. Could he possibly be saved?

* * *

**I hope you like it. I didn't take very long on this, I'm sorry if it seemed rushed.**


	3. Finally Home

**Blah blah blah those pitchforks and torches don't exist blah blah blah...**

**One word, life. Besides, this is getting extremely hard to write.. And there's a bit of language in this chapter, sorry. _Also_, I just re-read my first AN. And it was completely off what I actually ended up doing. So, sorry. I kind of lost focus with this, and subsequently forgot all vestiges of a plot I had brewing. I kinda went with my gut. Umm, yeah... Second finished story ever!**

* * *

Forge decided that the best way to figure out whoever was here was to wait it out in the gym. They'd wander into there soon enough, and he didn't feel like standing in a corridor or walking around with no real idea of where to go. He considered the gym his 'living room', when he was not listening in on conversations, he went there. Most of his work was set up there and he rested on the floor at night, trying desperately to go to sleep.

But that wasn't the case now. Maybe, just maybe, he could really sleep again, and see his parents, and go to college, not that he particularly needed to go through any more school. But that was besides the point. He could _live _again.

If only he could pinpoint the stupid idiot who had activated his machine.

~*v{o}v*~

It had been quite a while, and Forge was starting to get bored. What was wrong with whoever this was? He had tinkered with his parts for roughly fifteen minutes, and no one had come in yet.

Time to ditch. Forge wandered the hallways for another fifteen minutes, then got frustrated and started back towards the gym. Over the years, he'd gotten insanely good at waiting, but with this spark of hope, he was impatient for his imprisonment to finally be over. Or maybe just the privilege of having someone to talk to again. But no, that wouldn't happen, with another person, he'd find a way...

Being distracted, he didn't notice the blue mutant-_Kurt, his name is Kurt_-until he was almost on him. Giving said mutant a chance to teleport. "Fuck!" Forge yelled, frustrated beyond words. He'd just spent almost half an hour looking for the god-damned mutant, and the second he locates him, he freakin' teleports away. Fantastic. Just fan-bloody-tastic.

Then Kurt dropped from the ceiling, looking confused. "Vhy are you angry?" He asked, curiously. Forge, who had, in a sense, encountered this mutant before, nonetheless started a little as the full impact of the mutant's features hit him. But his inner mechanic was screaming in joy, not only did he have a companion, he had the very companion he needed to get back! If, of course, someone hit the reset button..

The blue boy automatically reacted defensively to Forge's reaction. "I'm sorry!" He yelled, eyes wide in panic. Extremely insecure, then. Forge shook off the momentary surprise and smiled brightly, he needed to be friendly right now. "It's okay!" He said, holding up his hands in a placating move. "I'm sorry I started, but it _is_ a little shocking the first time. Anyways, let's go, we have stuff to do. I'll tell you later." Kurt, for his part, looked completely confused and let himself be dragged along.

~*v{o}v*~

Kurt was, in a word, flabbergasted. The initial reaction hadn't made sense-he could see someone being shocked about him teleporting away, but not _angry_. That was what originally intrigued him, besides he'd been wandering a while and he wanted some more information about where he was. He hadn't ran into anyone else yet, so this teen had seemed like a good bet at the time.

The second reaction had made more sense-he hadn't been thinking, of course this person would react violently to his appearance, everyone did. Even Kitty had, at first.

But the third had him seriously doubting his judgement about talking to this guy in the first place. He was _apologizing_? And where the heck were they going? He considered teleporting away, but the boy was touching him, he'd just take him along.

It took Kurt a few moments before he shook off his shock and twisted out of the teen's grasp. "Who are you?" He gasped, a little panicked, and subsequently got a better look at the boy's face.

His eyes widened, and he unintentionally started closing in on the teen. "I know you! You were on ze screen before it blew!" He poked a finger accusingly at the boy, and he backed up, straight into a wall. He looked nervous now.

"I'm sorry, Kurt. I'm Forge. Basically, I invented this machine that created a pocket dimension that I got stuck in, I've been watching everyone at the school for twenty years, which is how I know you. It's really as simple as that. We have to get the gym, I'm not sure how long we have but getting out of here is probably a limited time offer."

Kurt was so shocked by that rather sudden explanation that he didn't protest as the newly identified Forge dragged him into the gym over to a rather large table with machine parts scattered over it.

~*v{o}v*~

Toad was having loads of fun with the machine he'd liberated from Rogue. There was simply too much to vanish! And Rogue had been about to throw it away. Such a shame. Sometimes, Toad doubted her place in the Brotherhood. First of all, she was a _sister_, and second, she seemed too sympathetic of those X-Dorks. Idiot. Maybe she should _join _them sometime if she wanted to be all...moral.

Heh, but just _think _of how mad the Principle would be.. Oh crud. Toad made a hasty escape out the window.

~*v{o}v*~

Back in Middleverse, Kurt was pestering Forge for more answers while said inventor worked with the few parts he had to make something that would get them home-if they got the chance. Forge was doing his best to ignore him, but the sudden influx of conversation after years of no talk at all was disconcerting, and it was barely a minute before he snapped.

He wheeled around in his chair and said, "Look. I lived with my parents, they were the only ones who knew I was a mutant, I've been a mutant since I was thirteen, no, I don't know why I haven't aged, yes, I was one of the first mutants, and yes, I made that lab. Now if you want to get out of here, would you kindly leave me alone?" Kurt was shocked into silence again, and he stalked off. He glanced at the weird ghosty-thingies of two admittedly cute girls and grinned. _Here _was something that could occupy his time...

He continued fantasizing right up to when he ran into a solid, but invisible, wall.

Forge smirked. He could have warned Mr. Blue Boy, if he had asked. But maybe he should apologize, he _had _been kind of a jerk. And besides, Kurt probably wouldn't help him otherwise.. Forge put the last wire into place and called Kurt over, frowning in atonement.

"Kay, Kurt. I'm sorry. Honestly, I haven't talked to anyone in _years_, you were just irritating me. Umm. _This _machine-" He gestured at the invention he'd been working on- "Will alter the face-shift frequency of you teleport power!" Kurt looked confused. "Uh, sorry, my English is a _leetle _limited." He held up his fingers. Forge amended, "You can teleport back." Kurt's face lit up, and he grinned in excitement. "But only for like three seconds. Then the battery will fry." Forge said, and the mutant's face fell again. "How is that going to help?" Kurt said, still frowning.

Forge grinned, and there was real excitement in his face. "You just have to tell them to reset the machine! Then we'll be able to teleport back."

Kurt looked downcast again. "I just hope they believe me.." He said. Forge looked puzzled. "I kinda have that rep." Kurt admitted, looking sheepish.

~*v{o}v*~

After a short chase, it had been easy enough to get the mysterious machine away from Toad. Now, all they had to do was destroy it, and Kurt would be back and Scott could apologize for being a jerk.

As Scott aimed at the machine, counting down, Kitty interrupted, "You know, I could just, like, quietly phase through it and disable it." Scott and Evan looked at her as if she was from another planet. Kitty shrugged and whispered to Jean, "Boys..." Jean nodded sadly.

Kurt and Forge were watching the whole thing, having tracked down the group earlier. They had been waiting for a good time to activate the machine,and this seemed like it. Forge was almost panicking at the thought of losing his chance, forever. "Kurt! Go! NOW!"

Kurt, who looked a bit panicked himself, pressed the button and immediately started saying, as quickly as possible, "Resetdon'tdes-" However, that was as far as he got before the battery tapped out and he was flung back to Middleverse.

The X-men watched with wide eyes as Kurt appeared from nowhere-no smoke, even-and said frantically, "Resetdon'tdes-" before disappearing again. They looked at each other, too shocked to say anything. Finally Kitty spoke. "What was he saying?" She said, looking worried. "Reset, I heard, and don't, then...des?"

Evan grinned. "You heard the man! Reset don't! You know, don't reset! Now let's blow it up!" Kitty commented to Jean, "They're obsessed..."

However, he was the only one grinning. "I don't know.." Jean said, still worried. "It sounded like a warning. And why would he tell us to blow it up if we were obviously going to do it anyways? He could have just said, I don't know, 'don't reset', if he wanted us too, anyways."

Kitty was nodding in agreement, but Evan said, "Come on, a warning? From _Kurt_? Besides, maybe he can't hear us or something, or see us, and he wanted to make sure we blew it up." He looked hopeful. Scott, however, was the one disagreeing this time. "No." He said. "Kurt's a goofball, but he has common sense. Jean is right. And what about 'des'? He was probably saying 'reset, don't destroy.'"

Kitty and Jean grinned, as Evan looked disappointed. "Now where's that reset button..." Scott mused.

~*v{o}v*~

Meanwhile, Kurt and Forge were having troubles. A few minutes into the conversation that was to outline their fate, Forge had remembered that the batteries were tapped out, meaning they couldn't teleport away even _if _they reset it. Kurt had teleported them to the car he remembered, but he doubted his ability to teleport the whole car _twice_-so they were desperately forcing the car at top speed back to the X-men.

The X-men were having troubles of their own. The Brotherhood had arrived, and things had dissolved into a fight-the X-men weren't going to let that portal close easily, regardless of whether Kurt had been sighted in it or not. Things were looking good, actually. Kitty had recovered from Lance's "Concrete Coaster", Evan had trapped Toad, and Jean and Scott were doing a pretty good job of subduing The Blob.

Finally, just as the portal was literally seconds off from collapsing, Kurt and Forge drove through. It was rather anticlimatic. The Blob stopped the car, and that was it. It was over.

Forge took one look at his surroundings and started crying.

~*v{o}v*~

After excusing himself from the X-men, Jon took his sweet time walking home, marveling at the simple things, the unwarped surroundings, the birdsong, the smell of the air. And suddenly, he felt sleepy. He hadn't felt sleepy in twenty years, or hungry, or _anything_. The night air was chilly, but that was a good feeling, too, any feeling was a good feeling.

He would see his parents again. He would see his parents again! More than anything, he was dwelling on that. The meeting would be awkward, of course, but it didn't matter. He'd see his parents again!  
Before he knew it, he was standing in front of his old house. Suddenly, Jon worried they'd moved away. He halted midthought, panicking, before deciding resolutely that if they had moved, he would just track them down.

He closed his eyes tight and steeled himself, then reopened them, reassuring himself that it _wasn't _a dream. This was _real_.

Then he rang the doorbell. He almost lost his nerve, for a second.

There was a muffled sound of footsteps and all the panic Jon had been repressing came rushing back-what if they hadn't just moved, they had _died_? What if-

The door opened and his heart almost stopped. His mother, _his mother_, was standing there, saying "Hel-"

And then her prodigal son rushed into her arms.


End file.
